On November 14, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which oversees all immigration and citizenship matters in the U.S. and its territories proposed changing application and petition filing fees. On January 24, 2020 USCIS reopened the public comment period, extending it to February 10, 2020. The rule has not yet been made final by USCIS as of the date of this article.
As you may know, most USCIS applications require a filing fee. USCIS’s proposed fee increase on certain application will certainly financially burden immigrants many of which are already impoverished. Here are some of the most important fee increases & changes:
| Application | Current Fees | Proposed Fees | Net Difference |
| Naturalization | $640 | $1,170 | $530 |
| Adjustment of Status | $1,225 | $2,195 | $970 |
| Asylum | N/A | $50 | $50 |
| DACA | $495 | $765 | $270 |
USCIS is also eliminating fee waivers for many applicants, which will disallow vulnerable immigrants to gain status, maintain status, and/progress in their immigration process. The following groups of applicants will still be eligible for fee waivers:
- VAWA self-petitioners
- Battered spouses of certain non-immigrants
- U visa applicants
- T visa applicants
- TPS applicants
The Trump administration has expressed its intentions to reduce immigration and enforce removals in the U.S. from the beginning of its campaign. Without a doubt, the USCIS filing fee increase will stop low-income families from immigrating to the U.S. As such, it’s important for immigrants to submit applications with USCIS now before the new fees go into effect.
If you would like to apply for an immigration benefit for yourself or a family member, please use our contact button and schedule a consultation.